The Team
GAWF didn't come from a boardroom. It came from a sleepless night, a lifetime of activism, and a family that decided to build something better.
The Founder
Founder, Global Animal Welfare Fund
It started with a sleepless night in Thailand.
Caryl was in Koh Samui celebrating her 50th birthday when she saw them — dozens of homeless dogs wandering the streets with nowhere to go and no one looking out for them. That night, she couldn't sleep. She kept turning to her husband Pierre and saying: "We have to do something. I can't lie here knowing they're out there."
She didn't wait long. Caryl founded Rescue Paws — a hands-on rescue organisation built to help street dogs in Southeast Asia. When it became clear the work required more on-the-ground capacity than she could manage alone, she reached out to one of Global Work & Travel's key partners to help run it. Rescue Paws grew. And so did Caryl's understanding of what rescue organisations actually need.
The problem wasn't dedication. It was never dedication. It was funding — or the absence of it at the exact moment it was needed most. Caryl had seen it firsthand: incredible teams doing extraordinary work, brought to a standstill by empty bank accounts. So she built a solution. In 2019, Global Animal Welfare Fund was formally registered — a transparent, direct funding model that keeps money ready before the call comes in.
A note on our structure
Global Animal Welfare Fund was built by a family that has spent decades in animal welfare — and that's not a coincidence. It's the reason it exists.
Caryl's daughter Chantal is a Director and Board Member with years of experience in animal rights advocacy. Her mother Diana is a veteran vegan and animal rights activist who serves on the board. Her son Jurgen Himmelman owns Global Work & Travel — the organisation whose global partner network gave Global Animal Welfare Fund its early reach.
We're transparent about this because transparency is the entire point. Global Work & Travel covers GAWF's operational costs. That's what makes 100% of public donations go directly to frontline animal welfare — no administration, no salaries, no overhead. The family connection isn't a conflict of interest. It's what makes the model possible.
The People
Director & Board Member
A lifetime vegan and Chairwoman of animalKIND, Chantal brings years of frontline experience in animal rights advocacy and policy to GAWF's board. Her work sits at the intersection of activism and governance — ensuring that every decision the fund makes is grounded in genuine welfare outcomes, not just good intentions.
Director & Board Member
A veteran vegan and lifelong animal rights activist, Diana brings decades of experience in animal welfare advocacy to GAWF's board. Her conviction runs deep — and she brings that same commitment to every funding decision GAWF makes.
Social & Communications
Vanessa brings hands-on social media experience from within the animal welfare sector — she knows the audience, the nuance, and the stories that move people to act. Passionate about animal rights and advocacy, she ensures GAWF's voice stays honest, urgent, and connected to the frontline work it exists to support.
Marketing
Jayde came to GAWF through conviction, not credentials — and that's exactly what the role needed. With a background in brand building and storytelling, she brings the skills to take a mission this important and make sure the right people find it. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for a cause is make it impossible to ignore.
Allocation Decisions
Every funding decision GAWF makes is assessed by a volunteer committee — not an algorithm, not a formula. People who are close to the work, moving as quickly as the need demands.
The committee evaluates every request on urgency, impact, partner trust, and available funds. When the need is real, the decision is made and the money moves.
"Global Animal Welfare Fund has helped us maintain the Vervet Monkey Foundation's communal areas for volunteers and primate enclosures. We even have an enclosure called the Global enclosure, named after them. Their generosity keeps our team on the ground and our monkeys safe in the trees."
— Vervet Monkey Foundation
Get Involved
If you run a vetted frontline animal welfare organisation and need funding to keep going, we want to hear from you.
Apply for funding →Support the Fund
Allocated by a volunteer committee. Directed to vetted partners. Every outcome published publicly.
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